Since 1915, we have been making the finest quality Italian Ice. Commitment to quality is our legacy, and we are so proud to share our family tradition with you!
Our story began in the early 1900’s, when, after immigrating to Elizabeth, NJ from Vallata, Italy, Giovanni and Caterina DiCosmo opened a small neighborhood market . One particularly hot summer, Caterina remembered the granita that she had enjoyed in Italy and thought that it would be a welcome addition to their little store. She created a recipe using fresh squeezed lemon juice, sugar and water. She modified the traditional method of scraping the ice crystals, to churning the mixture by hand in an ice cream maker. Customers loved it and word of mouth quickly spread.
Year after year, demand for the wonderfully flavorful and refreshing lemon ice continued to grow. Caterina and Giovanni eventually passed the business down to their son, Alfred and his wife Agnes. Agnes knew that customers would appreciate other flavors aside from lemon, but Caterina could not be convinced. It was not until after her passing that Agnes created recipes for orange and pineapple to start, and additional flavors followed in time. Alfred, a welder, mechanized the hand crank machines to reduce the manufacturing time and to the delight of their customers, make more ice.
By the time they were ready to pass the reigns to their son, John, and his wife Nancy, what was once a seasonal hobby had grown into a local legend with generations of loyal customers. To keep up with the demand, John and Nancy also updated manufacturing techniques, created new recipes, and extended hours.
One day while helping her folks at the shop, one of John and Nancy’s six children, Eileen, realized that continuing this century old family business, making this amazing product by hand that generations of customers absolutely loved was her destiny. Shortly thereafter, she and her husband Mike, opened a DiCosmo’s Italian Ice in Metuchen, NJ. While keeping tradition, their shop offers a few innovations including a custom-made dipping cabinet from Italy, and new flavors alongside the traditional favorites, of course!